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Cdtween  C^Jf^r oilier Sf  cJnc. 
720  FIFTH  AVE.  NEW  YORK 


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in  2015 


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THE  CITY  ART  MUSEUM,  ST.  LOUIS 


ADMINISTRATIVE  BOARD  OF  CONTROL 


WILLIAM  K.  BIXBY 
President 

SAMUEL  L.  SHERER 
Vice-President 

DANIEL  CATLIN 
DAVID  R.  FRANCIS 

MAX  KOTANY 
WILLIAM    H,  LEE 
EDWARD  MALLINCKRODT 
CHARLES  P.  PETTUS 
THOMAS  H.  WEST 


R.  A.  HOLLAND 

Director 

MADELEINE  BORGGRAEFE 
Secretary 


CHARLES  PERCY  DAVIS 
Curator 


SPECIAL  EXHIBITION  CATALOGUE       Series  of  1916;  No.  7 


EXHIBITION  OF  TAPESTRIES 

INCLUDING 
EARLY  COPTIC  AND  CHINESE  WEAVING 
A  XV  CENTURY  COPE  AND  CHASUBLE 
AND  SMALL  COLLECTION 
OF  PERSIAN  POTTERY 


.  CITY  ART  MUSEUM 

^ST.  LOUIS 
MARCH  19,  1916 


THE  importance  of  applied  art  in  the  every-day  life  of  a 
people  can  scarcely  be  over-estimated,  touching,  as  it  does, 
every  phase  of  activity.  In  adding  to  the  collections  of 
the  City  Art  Museum,  numerous  examples  of  ceramics,  textiles 
and  metal  work  of  the  best  periods,  the  management  of  the 
Museum  gives  recognition  to  this  fact.  Tlie  present  exhibition 
of  tapestries  is  a  continuation  of  this  effort  to  stimulate  a 
greater  appreciation  of  applied  art.  The  weaving  and  plaiting 
of  rude  textiles  w^as  one  of  the  early  accomplishments  of  primi- 
tive man,  and  the  production  of  that  sort  of  textile  with  designs 
woven  in  the  body  of  the  cloth,  which  we  call  tapestry,  also 
originated  at  an  early  date.  The  literature  of  classical  antiquity 
contains  many  references  to  tapestry  and  tapestry  weaving. 
Thus,  in  Homer's  Iliad,  Helen  of  Troy  wove  tapestry,  as  did 
also  Penelope  and  Andromache;  and  in  Ovid's  Metamorphosis, 
it  was  a  contest  in  tapestry  weaving  between  Athena  and 
Arachne  which  resulted  in  the  transformation  of  the  latter. 

Unfortunately,  however,  nothing  but  a  few  comparatively 
insignificant  fragments  remain  of  the  work  of  ancient  times. 
Some  interesting  specimens  of  primitive  tapestry  may  be  seen 
in  the  collection  of  Coptic  textiles  recently  acquired  by  the 
Museum.  But  the  earliest  picture  tapestry  which  has  been 
preserved,  the  famous  Apocalypse  set  in  the  Cathedral  at 
Angers,  dates  only  from  the  fourteenth  century.  The  splendor 
of  this  tapestry  gives  a  good  indication  of  the  development  of 
the  art  in  the  thirteenth  and  fourteenth  centuries  in  Europe. 

Most  of  the  tapestries  that  have  survived  until  modern 
times  are  not  earlier  than  the  fifteenth  century,  and  the  great 
majority  were  woven  at  much  later  dates.  Flanders  was  the 
center  of  the  tapestry  industry  in  the  fifteenth  century,  and 
the  magnificent  Flemish  pieces  of  this  period,  in  simple  Gothic 
style,  are  most  highly  prized.  During  the  sixteenth  century, 
the  Gothic  treatment  of  the  design  was  gradually  superseded 
by  the  Renaissance  style,  and  in  the  seventeenth  century  a 


5 


Baroque  style  came  into  favor.  During  these  same  centuries 
the  vicissitudes  of  war  and  conquest  resulted  in  the  shifting  of 
the  center  of  the  tapestry  industry  from  Flanders  to  France. 
Here,  in  the  eighteenth  century  the  Beauvais  Tapestry  Works 
and  the  Gobelin  factory  produced  many  works  of  importance,  but 
they  scarcely  deserve  to  rank  with  the  products  of  an  earlier  age. 

A  knowledge  and  appreciation  of  tapestries  is  of  the  greatest 
importance  because  of  the  insight  which  they  give  into  the  life 
and  art  of  past  epochs.  Upon  their  soft  and  pleasing  surfaces 
are  portrayed  religious,  legendary  and  historical  scenes  with  a 
vividness  which  enables  the  spectator  to  reconstruct  in  fancy 
the  pomp  and  pageantry  of  the  past.  From  the  earliest  times, 
tapestry  weavers  have  almost  invariably  relied  upon  contempo- 
rary artists  for  their  compositions,  and  hence  in  the  product 
of  their  looms  may  be  traced  the  gradual  evolution  of  successive 
periods  of  art.  The  rich  ornamentation  in  which  most  tapestries 
abound  is  equally  characteristic  of  the  period  in  which  the 
fabric  was  woven  and  is  an  unfailing  source  of  inspiration  for 
modern  decorators  and  designers. 

The  collection  now  on  view  should  be  visited  and  carefully 
studied,  not  once,  but  repeatedly;  for  a  true  appreciation  of  the 
beauty  of  tapestry  can  not  be  gained  by  a  study  of  catalogues 
and  handbooks  alone — the  tapestries  themselves  in  all  their 
splendor  of  color,  design  and  texture  should  be  studied  at 
every  opportunity. 


6 


CATALOGUE 


1.  THE  PROPHECY  OF  NATHAN,  ii  feet  lo  by  21 
feet  5,  a  late  Gothic  tapestry  woven  in  Brussels  at  the  beginning 
of  the  sixteenth  century.  This  tapestry  is  a  masterpiece.  It  is 
the  best  that  could  be  accomplished  by  the  most  skillful  weavers 
in  the  Golden  Age  of  tapestry.  It  is  an  object  lesson  in  the 
use  of  hatchings,  and  is  unsurpassed  in  texture  by  any  tapestry. 
It  pictures  in  three  scenes  the  events  in  the  Story  of  David 
and  Bathsheba  that  are  described  in  II  Samuel,  chapters  1 1 
and  12 — in  the  upper  left  corner  David  giving  to  Bathsheba's 
husband  Uriah  the  letter  that  instructed  Joab  to  place  Uriah 
in  the  forefront  of  the  battle,  and  then  retire  from  him,  that 
he  "may  be  smitten  and  die;"  in  the  upper  right  corner,  Uriah 
delivering  the  letter  to  Joab ;  in  the  body  of  the  tapestry,  David 
and  Bathsheba  standing  on  a  platform  before  a  throne,  peni- 
tently with  folded  hands,  while  Nathan  below,  with  right 
hand  warningly  upraised,  prophesies:  "The  sword  shall  never 
depart  from  thine  house;  because  thou  hast  despised  me,  and 
has  taken  the  wife  of  Uriah  the  Hittite  to  be  thy  wife."  Very 
interesting  is  this  splendid  tapestry  to  compare  wnth  the  set  of 
ten  picturing  the  Story  of  David  and  Bathsheba,  in  the  Cluny 
Museum,  said  to  have  been  woven  for  the  French  King,  which 
afterward  belonged  to  the  Duke  of  York,  to  Marquis  Spinola, 
and  to  the  Serra  family  of  Genoa.  The  Cluny  tapestries  are 
three  feet  higher  than  the  one  before  us,  but  in  no  way  superior 
as  regards  weave,  composition  or  design.  Indeed,  were  it  not 
for  the  difference  in  height  and  the  fact  that  the  events  of  the 
tapestry  are  elsewhere  covered  in  the  Cluny  set,  one  might  almost 
at  first  sight  suspect  it  to  be  a  part  of  the  set.  But  while  the 
faces  and  evidently  the  models  for  the  personages  are  similar 
and  similarly  treated,  the  garments,  particularly  of  David,  are 
different,  and  there  are  numerous  other  minor  differences.  The 
Renaissance  influence  is  stronger  in  the  throne  of  the  tapestry 
before  us  than  in  any  of  the  Cluny  set  save  one.  The  tapestry 
is  said  to  have  been  formerly  in  the  Royal  Spanish  Collection, 
and  after  that  in  the  Chateau  de  Vierville  in  Calvados.  Lent 
by  Mr.  Edward  A ,  Faust, 


2.  DEATH  OF  PHAETHON,  lo  feet  9  by  9  feet  4.  It 
will  be  remembered  that  Phaethon,  having  persuaded  his  father, 
the  Sun  God,  to  allow  him  for  one  day  to  drive  the  chariot  of 
the  sun,  was  unable  to  restrain  his  excitable  steeds  in  their  fiery 
course,  and,  swerving  from  the  right  path,  threatened  to  burn 
and  destroy  the  entire  world,  when  Jupiter  hastened  to  the 
rescue,  and  saved  the  universe  by  sacrificing  the  life  of  Phaethon. 
Lent  by  P,  W ,  French  &  Co. 

3.  THE  RECEPTION  OF  PARIS  BY  HELEN,  11  feet 
3  by  9  feet  2,  a  companion  piece  to  No.  2.  A  fascinating 
eighteenth  century  tapestry  w^oven  in  Aubusson ;  one  of  a  set 
of  five  designed  by  Huet,  that  has  been  in  a  private  residence 
in  Greece  for  over  a  century.  There  are  furniture  coverings 
to  match.  The  effect  of  the  drapery  that  frames  the  top  like  a 
lambrequin  is  exceedingly  good.    Lent  by  P.  fV,  French  ^  Co. 

4.  WOMAN  AT  THE  TENT,  a  sixteenth  century  Flemish 
tapestry,  9  feet  1 1  by  9  feet  8.  This  tapestry,  woven  early  in 
the  sixteenth  century  with  a  texture  that  is  delightfully  Gothic 
of  an  earlier  type,  show^s  both  Gothic  and  Renaissance  influence. 
Perhaps  the  salamander  is  that  of  Francis  I,  and  perhaps  the 
queen  mother  is  looking  over  his  armor  before  his  being  knighted, 
or  later  when  he  is  in  captivity;  but  that  is  mere  speculation. 
The  tiles  with  fleur-de-lis  and  other  symbols  afford  interesting 
opportunity  for  interpretation.    Lent  by  P,  W,  French  £if  Co, 

5.  SOPHONISBA  AND  MASINISSA,  17  feet  4  by  11 
feet  6.  A  typical  Brussels  Baroque  tapestry  of  the  first  half 
of  the  seventeenth  century,  picturing  the  meeting  of  Masinissa 
and  Sophonisba  after  the  capture  of  her  palace,  her  husband 
and  the  capital  city  of  their  Numidian  kingdom,  by  Masinissa. 
The  inscription  in  the  cartouche  in  the  middle  of  the  top  border 
reads:  SOPHONISBA,  MASINISSAE.  IN.  GENVA. 
PROCVMBIT  (Sophonisba  falls  at  the  knees  of  Masinissa). 
Her  pleading  was  so  effective  that  Masinissa  forgot  his  duties 
as  the  ally  of  Scipio  and  the  Roman  people,  fell  in  love  w^ith 
her  on  the  spot,  and  married  her  immediately.  Later  being 
authoritatively  advised  by  Scipio  to  repudiate  her,  he  sent  her 
a  cup  of  poison  with  the  message  that,  no  longer  being  able  to 
protect  her,  he  thus  kept  his  promise  to  save  her  from  becoming 
a  Roman  captive.  Sophonisba  is  said  to  have  drained  the  cup 
without  hesitation,  remarking  as  she  did  so  that  she  w^ould  have 
preferred  not  to  have  her  wedding  and  her  funeral  occur  on 
the  same  day.  The  original  Rubens'  color  sketch  of  this  tapestry 
is  in  the  Detroit  Museum.    Lent  by  P.  W,  French  &  Co. 


9 


6.  JOSEPH  SOLD  BY  HIS  BROTHERS,  20  feet  8  by 
1 1  feet  9.  A  splendid  Renaissance  tapestry,  dating  from  the 
first  half  of  the  sixteenth  century  and  signed  with  the  Brussels 
mark  and  the  monogram  of  an  unidentified  master.  The  colors 
are  exquisite  and  the  borders  are  rich.  The  scene  illustrated 
is  the  sale  of  Joseph  to  the  Ishmaelites  by  his  brothers,  as  told 
in  chapter  37  of  the  Book  of  Genesis: 

''And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Joseph  was  come  unto 
his  brethen,  that  they  stripped  Joseph  out  of  his  coat, 
his  coat  of  many  colors  that  was  on  him ; 
''And  they  took  him,  and  cast  him  into  a  pit:  and  the 
pit  was  empty,  there  was  no  water  in  it. 

Lent  by  P.  W,  French  &  Co. 

7.  AHAB  AND  JEHOSHAPHAT,  17  feet  2  by  11  feet  8. 
A  rich  and  impressive  Renaissance  tapestry  that  pictures  a 
Bible  story.  That  this  story  is,  the  Latin  caption  in  the  top 
border  makes  clear.  It  is  verse  10  of  chapter  22  of  I  Kings, 
and  in  the  English  version  reads: 

"And  Ahab  the  king  of  Israel,  and  Jehoshaphat  the 
king  of  Judah,  set  each  on  his  throne,  having  put  on 
their  robes ;  and  all  the  prophets  prophesied  before 
them." 

The  two  crowned  and  sceptered  kings  are  seated  on  the  right 
of  the  tapestry,  the  identity  of  Ahab  being  marked  by  the  letters 
ACHAP  that  appear  on  his  right  sleeve,  while  the  letters 
lOSAPHAT  appear  on  the  border  of  Jehoshaphat's  mantle, 
draping  his  left  knee.  The  prophet  in  the  foreground,  whose 
left  hand  grasps  a  huge  trident,  is  Zedekiah  wnth  the  letters 
GEDKIA  upon  his  hat,  while  just  behind  him  stands  Micaiah, 
with  MUCH  on  the  bottom  border  of  his  robe.  In  the  center 
of  the  scene,  between  prophets  and  kings,  but  a  little  in  the 
background,  with  her  name  upon  her  gown,  stands  Ahab's 
beautiful  wife,  whose  wickedness  has  made  Jezebel  a  word  to 
shudder  at.  Zedekiah  and  the  rest  of  the  four  hundred  prophets 
prophesied  as  Ahab  wished.  Micaiah  opposed  him  and  was 
sent  to  prison.  But  Micaiah's  prophecy  came  true,  and  Ahab 
was  killed  in  battle  against  the  King  of  Syria.  The  city  that 
backgrounds  the  scene  is  Samaria.  This  tapestry  is  one  of  a 
set  of  four  from  the  famous  Somzee  collection  that  was  sold 
in  Brussels  in  1901.  It  was  woven  in  Brussels  in  the  third 
quarter  of  the  sixteenth  century,  and  has  the  Brussels  mark,  two 

11 


B's,  on  each  side  of  a  shield,  woven  into  the  bottom  selvage. 
The  weaver's  monogram,  that  has  suffered  at  the  hands  of 
time  and  of  the  repairer,  was  originall}^  formed  of  the  letters 
CR.    Lent  by  P.  W,  French  &  Co. 

8  and  9.  TWO  RENAISSANCE  TAPESTRIES,  depicting 
battle  scenes,  each  12  feet  by  11  feet.  The  two  tapestries 
herewith  brought  to  notice  are  especially  gratifying  to  the  artist's 
eye.  Their  coloring  is  satisfying  to  the  highest  degree.  Soft 
and  delicately  toned  in  pastel  colors  to  combine  with  masses 
of  rich  blues  and  reds  adroitly  displayed  in  the  dress  of  the 
figures.  Grecian  conflicts  in  Persia  were  popular  tapestry  sub- 
jects in  the  time  of  the  Renaissance,  and,  as  in  the  tapestries 
being  considered,  they  gave  fine  opportunity  for  the  complicated 
scenes  and  infinitude  of  planes  that  delight  us  now. 

In  the  foreground  a  sparse  number  of  prominent  figures 
play  their  earnest  and  tragic  parts.  In  one  tapestry  a  supplicant 
pleads  with  a  w^arrior  to  don  his  discarded  armor  lying  on  the 
ground  and  come  to  the  assistance  of  the  king  who  in  his  battle- 
tent  awaits  with  hopeful  anxiety  his  decision.  The  figures  are 
nobly  drawn,  especially  those  of  the  young  warrior  and  the 
queenly  woman  beside  him  whose  attitude  shows  her  strong 
desire  to  influence  him. 

The  foreground  is  occupied  with  the  happy  display  of  foliage 
that  invariably  fills  unused  spaces  in  tapestries  of  this  type.  A 
botanist  could  name  every  leaf  in  all  this  infinite  variety  of 
leaves,  with  such  loving  care  are  they  represented.  The  pred- 
ecessor of  this  leafage  was  the  flower-starred  field  of  Gothic 
work. 

Beyond  this  is  the  enchanting  maze  of  the  middle  distance, 
leading  by  happy  advance  to  the  far  heights  and  the  serenity  of 
the  heavens.  On  the  left  are  grouped  the  tents  of  the  army, 
those  decorative  shelters  which  accompanied  all  European  con- 
flicts between  the  thirteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries. 

In  the  decorative  confusion  are  to  be  distinguished  many 
soldiers  miassed  together  with  shields  and  spears,  a  high-prowed 
galley  floating  on  an  insufficient  stream,  also  loaded  with  eager 
men  of  arms,  and  a  long  pontoon  bridge  over  which  is  being 
drawn  a  car  in  which  reposes  a  person  of  high  importance. 
From  the  winding  stream  of  the  far-reaching  valley  approaches 
a  procession  of  camels,  while  trees  and  castles  dot  the  ever-rising 
heights. 

It  is  the  childish  ingenuousness  of  these  backgrounds  that  so 
delight  us.    They  are  the  fairy-land  picture  books  for  grow^n- 


13 


ups.  Into  their  intricacies  we  are  never  tired  of  gazing.  If 
real  life  palls  with  its  "demnition  grind"  of  Dickens'  description, 
how  happy  can  one  be  in  straying  through  the  umbrageous  paths, 
in  wandering  among  the  active  folk,  in  straying  far  among  the 
hills  of  the  enchanted  world  of  the  tapestry  background. 

At  the  time  these  hangings  were  woven,  about  1550,  Italian 
artists  were  drawing  the  cartoons.  The  Flemings  were,  how- 
ever, the  weavers.  Much  freedom  was  given  the  weaver  who 
was  himself  a  minor  artist.  Thus  it  happens  that  while  the 
figures  of  importance  were  Italian,  the  Flemish  weavers  set  in 
their  own  backgrounds.  This  explains  the  naivete  of  the 
designs  in  which  we  so  delight.  The  weavers  of  that  time  had 
freshness  of  imagination  that  produced  an  infinite  variety  of 
background  and  seemed  to  play  with  the  designs  as  children 
play  with  toys. 

The  second  tapestry  has  as  subject  a  fierce  battle  beginning 
with  the  surprise  of  the  enemy's  camp.  The  grouping  is  admi- 
rable and  the  masses  arranged  by  an  artist  of  ability.  Foreground 
shades  into  middle  distance,  and  that  into  the  horizon,  without 
obvious  tricks  in  the  change  of  planes.  Superb  trees  of  rich 
foliage  are  used,  not  to  separate  groups — a  common  subterfuge 
— but  only  to  calm  the  confusion  that  might  arise  from  too 
much  detail  of  background. 

The  larger  figures  at  the  right  depict  the  death  of  a  general 
on  his  fallen  horse.  The  figure  of  his  vengeful  slayer  is  one  of 
superb  force  and  the  scene  full  of  vigor  and  of  decorative  value. 

The  borders  of  these  two  hangings  show  the  fineness  of  the 
weave,  as  well  does  the  infinite  detail  of  the  background.  Bor- 
ders, at  the  time  these  were  woven,  had  grown  greatly  in  width 
since  Gothic  days.  The  meandering  string  of  flowers  or  jewels 
gave  way  to  wider  floral  design,  though  still  Gothic.  But  with 
the  Renaissance  came  the  accenting  of  the  border  and  the 
increase  of  its  width.  The  increased  width  was  a  natural 
consequence  of  the  change  in  furniture  styles  which  brought 
in  many  high  pieces  concealing  the  lower  part  of  the  tapestry, 
To  raise  the  pictures  the  border  was  widened. 

But  the  most  potent  reason  for  increase  of  width  was  the 
exuberance  of  the  artist  of  the  Renaissance  w^hose  fertility  of 
decorative  invention  impelled  him  to  seek  space  to  cover  with 
his  drawings.  It  became  the  fashion  to  divide  the  border  into 
scenes  and  to  fill  the  space  between  them  with  an  exquisite  mass 
of  flowers,  fruit  and  grotesques.  On  such  a  scheme  are  the 
borders  of  these  two  tapestries  made.  Being  of  the  same  set, 
the  borders  are  alike,  as  was  the  custom. 


14 


At  top  and  bottom  and  on  the  sides  are  rural  scenes  unre- 
lated to  the  cartoon  of  the  tapestr}^  These  tiny  scenes  are 
in  themselves  sufficient  design  for  an  entire  hanging.  They 
are  charming  miniatures  which  may  be  enjoyed  at  leisure. 
Unhappily,  this  idea  has  been  used  to  their  detriment.  Many 
old  tapestries  have  until  very  recent  times  been  stripped  of 
their  borders  that  these  scenes  might  cover  a  chair  or  cushion. 
Fortunately,  such  mutilation  is  stopped  by  the  increase  of  value 
on  bordered  tapestries. 

Besides  the  four  miniature  scenes  in  the  border,  a  heroic 
figure  occupies  each  corner.  Justice  in  one.  Wisdom  in  another, 
with  male  figures  of  War  and  Victory  in  the  upper  corners. 
Besides  these  are  set  two  repeated  figures  of  female  virtues.  All 
these  charming  miniatures  are  united  to  form  a  flowing  whole 
by  the  gracious  forms  of  flowers  and  grotesques.  As  for  their 
coloring,  it  makes  the  eyes  sparkle  and  the  lips  smile  to  behold 
its  blended  softness.    Lent  by  P.  W ,  French  Sff  Co, 

10.  SEVENTEENTH  CENTURY  FLEMISH  COAT 
OF  ARMS  TAPESTRY,  9  feet  by  8  feet  10.  Flemish 
armorial  tapestry  with  two  figures  holding  a  Coat  of  Arms  of 
the  period ;  woven  in  Brussels  in  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth 
century  by  Francis  van  der  Hecke,  whose  signature  appears  in 
the  upper  right-hand  corner,  and  who  was  assisted  by  van  der 
Bruggen.  This  tapestry  is  a  splendid  example  of  an  armorial 
tapestry,  which  were  used  very  frequently  as  portieres  in  door- 
ways. The  coat  of  arms  has  not  as  yet  been  deciphered  and 
undoubtedly  is  of  a  distinguished  family  of  the  epoch.  It  is 
interesting  to  note  the  different  quarters  in  the  arms  repeated 
in  the  corners  of  the  beautiful  border  of  fruits  and  flowers. 
This  tapestry  is  also  signed  with  B  B  around  a  shield  which 
denotes  the  mark  of  Brussels.  Marks  of  this  kind  were  put 
on  tapestries  made  at  Brussels  by  an  edict  issued  in  1528  by 
the  great  Emperor  Charles  V.    Lent  by  P.  W .  French  &  Co. 

11.  ARCHDUKE  ALBERT  AND  ISABELLA,  14  feet  3 
by  1 1  feet  4.  One  of  a  series  of  four  Flemish  tapestries  woven 
at  Brussels  about  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century.  These 
tapestries  appear  to  illustrate  events  of  historical  importance 
in  the  lives  of  the  personages  in  whose  honor  they  were  woven. 
The  quaint  backgrounds  of  hills  and  dales,  dotted  with  villages, 
houses,  and,  sometimes,  fortresses,  are  all  alive  with  figures 
displaying  great  activity,  but  the  coloring,  of  quiet  tone,  is  so 
harmoniously  blended  that  the  attention  is  not  distracted  from 
the  important  personages,  who,  clothed  in  the  rich  and  sumptu- 


15 


Seventeenth  Century  Flemish  Coat  of  Arms 

Lent  by  P.  IV.  French  &  Co. 


ous  court  costumes  of  the  reign  of  Charles  V,  occupy  the 
foregrounds.  This  tapestry  pictures  a  nobleman  arrayed  in 
magnificent  court  robes  with  an  attendant,  in  conference  with 
men  and  women,  evidently  picturing  attendants  of  his  lordship's 
estate.  In  the  background  are  pictured  various  pursuits  of 
people  in  the  forest,  and  in  the  upper  left-hand  corner  there  is 
a  small  panel  picturing  a  king  and  queen  with  attendants 
dining.  The  Flemish  red,  green  with  yellow  high  lights,  and 
dark  blue  colors  that  predominate  in  this  series,  have  all  become 
wonderfully  softened  and  mellowed.  Nothing  has  faded,  but 
every  color  has  been  lowered  in  tone  and  harmonized.  Great 
artists  did  their  best,  and  time  perfected  their  work.  The 
borders  consist  of  rich  designs  on  a  background  of  reddish 
brown.  There  are  flowers,  leaves  and  fruits  tied  with  ribbons 
in  bouquets  upon  the  trunk  of  a  palm  tree.  From  the  corners 
of  the  bottom  borders  spring  bunches  of  palm  leaves  tied  with 
ribbons  and  ringed  with  ropes  of  flowers.  In  some  of  the  lower 
borders  are  two  birds.    Lent  by  P.  W .  French  ^  Co, 

12.  EIGHTEENTH  CENTURY  FLEMISH  TAPES- 
TRY, II  feet  lo  by  21  feet  5,  woven  from  a  design  by  Teniers, 
and  is  without  doubt  one  of  the  most  splendid  examples  by  this 
master.  The  scene  of  rustic  festivities  under  the  trees  in  front 
of  a  tavern.  The  weaving  is  by  members  of  the  Leynier  family 
of  tapestry  weavers,  and  from  the  date,  presumabh^  Urbain 
assisted  by  Daniel  who  worked  in  the  Eighteenth  Century.  The 
colors  are  well  preserved  and  show  great  brilliancy  and  warmth 
in  the  figures  and  trees  of  the  foreground ;  a  large  proportion 
of  the  field  of  this  tapestry  is  the  foliage,  handled  with  great 
vigor,  and  a  fine  bit  of  delicate  gradation  in  blue  and  gray 
distance,  shows  underneath  the  strong  verdure  and  atones  for 
the  intense  realism  of  the  subject  and  its  treatment.  The 
border  is  the  conventional  one  of  its  period,  having  the  effect 
of  gold  frame  in  rich  yellows,  reds  and  wine  color.  Lent  by 
P,  W,  French  &  Co, 

13.  ROLAND,  12  feet  by  21  feet  6.  An  eighteenth  century 
tapestry  from  the  Royal  Manufactory  of  the  Gobelins,  after  a 
cartoon  painted  by  Charles  Coypel  in  1733.  The  story  depicted 
by  this  tapestry  deals  with  the  famous  Paladin  Roland,  who, 
leaving  the  army  of  Charlemagne  to  start  in  search  of  the 
lovely  Angelique,  returns  to  find  her  wedded  to  Medor,  a  young 
Saracen  Prince  whom  the  capricious  Princess  had  found 
wounded  under  the  walls  of  Paris.  Although  bent  on  return- 
ing to  her  kingdom  of  Cathay,  she  tarries  and  tends  him ;  her 


17 


kindness  develops  into  love,  and  upon  his  recovery  she  marries 
him.  The  w^edding  festivities  are  still  in  progress  when  Roland 
returns.  He  falls  at  Angelique's  feet  in  dismay,  to  w^hich  suc- 
ceeds the  violent  despair  which  forms  the  theme  of  Ariosto's 
grand  epic  poem,  ''Orland  f'urioso."  Groups  of  spectators 
stand  around  a  tree  reading  and  commenting  upon  the  following 
inscriptions  cut  in  the  bark  of  the  trunk: 

''Angelique  a  donne  son  coeur,  Medor  en  est  vain- 
queur," — "Angelica  has  given  her  heart,  Medor  has 
won  it;"  and  ''Que  Medor  est  heureux  Angelique  a 
comble  ses  voeux," — "How  happy  Medor  is,  Angelica 
has  crowned  his  wishes." 

This  magnificent  tapestry  was  according  to  records  begun 
in  1784  under  the  direction  of  James  Neilson  and  completed 
in  1789  under  the  supervision  of  Cozette  fils,  when  it  was 
conveyed  to  Prince  Potenkin,  in  whose  family  it  remained  until 
it  was  acquired  by  its  present  owners.  This  tapestry  bears 
the  signature  of  the  painter  Charles  Coypel,  whose  cartoon 
signed  and  dated  1733  is  now  in  the  Palace  of  Compiegne.  A 
panel  illustrating  the  same  subject,  and  ordered  by  Louis  XV, 
forms  a  part  of  the  collection  in  the  Musee  du  Louvre;  another, 
which  was  given  by  the  king  to  the  Paravicini  family  of  Genoa, 
is  now  in  the  collection  of  Baron  Henri  de  Rothschild.  Lent 
by  Messrs.  Duveen  Brothers,  fJ 


a4>.^ftd-+S.  SUMMER  and  AUTUMN,  each  8  feet  by  7 
feet  6.  A  pair  of  tapestries,  designed  at  the  beginning  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  toward  the  end  of  the  reign  of  Louis  XIV, 
by  Claude  Audran,  and  woven  at  the  Gobelins  on  high  warp 
looms,  about  1725,  by  LeFevre,  whose  initials  appear  in  the 
lower  right  corner  of  the  panel  inside  the  woven  frame.  Thej^ 
are  part  of  a  set  of  eight,  or  rather  a  portion  of  the  two  sets 
of  four  constituting  the  set  of  eight.  The  first  set  of  four 
pictures  the  seasons.  Spring,  Summer,  Autumn,  Winter,  under 
the  guise  of  Venus,  Ceres,  Bacchus  and  Saturn ;  the  second  set 
of  four  pictures  the  elements.  Earth,  Air,  Fire  and  Water, 
under  the  guise  of  Diana,  Juno,  Jupiter  and  Neptune.  They 
belong  ornamentally  to  what  may  be  called  the  French  Gro- 
tesque type,  inspired  by  the  two-centuries-earlier  Grotesque  style 
of  Raphael  and  his  pupils,  and  of  the  Italian  Renaissance. 
^^enl  by  Messrs,  Dumen  Brothers, 


> 


19 


14    Summer  Lent  by  Messrs.  Dii^een  Brothers 


16.  LE  MUSICIEN,  9  feet  5  by  8  feet.  An  old  eighteenth 
century  tapestry  with  border  after  a  design  by  Le  Prince,  a 
famous  cartoonist  who  flourished  during  the  middle  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  and  designed  for  the  Beauvais  factory.  The 
subject,  ''Le  Musicien,"  was  probably  executed  during  1769, 
and  formed  a  part  of  a  set  of  six  panels  entitled  ''Les  Jeux 
Russiens."    Lent  by  Messrs.  Duveen  Brothers, 

17.  VISIT  OF  APOLLO  TO  DAPHNE,  11  feet  8  by 
II  feet  II.  A  Brussels  tapestry  of  the  seventeenth  century, 
depicting  the  visit  of  Apollo  to  Daphne  who  was  changed  into 
a  laurel  at  the  moment  of  her  capture  by  him.  Lent  by  Messrs, 
Duveen  Brothers. 

18.  VISIT  OF  PARIS  TO  VENUS,  11  feet  2  by  12  feet  6. 
Companion  piece  to  No.  17.  Both  of  these  pieces  are  typically 
beautiful  specimens  of  tapestry  work  of  this  period  with  ''petits 
personages."  Paris  was  the  second  son  of  Priam  and  of  Hecuba, 
and  the  husband  of  Oenone.  It  was  he  who  abducted  Helen, 
the  wife  of  Menelaus,  and  who  gave  the  apple  of  discord  to 
Venus,  which  choice  aroused  the  ire  of  Juno  and  Minerva 
against  Troy.  The  cartoon  represents  the  presentation.  Lent 
by  Messrs.  Duveen  Brothers.  | 

JB.  LA  DISEUSE  DE  BONNE  AVENTURE,  11  feet  by  H 
1 1  feet.    A  panel  of  eighteenth  century  Beauvais  tapestry  after 
a  design  by  Francois  Boucher  (i 703-1 770).  J^ent  by  Messrs. 
Duveen  Bro filers. 

20.  VISIT  OF  MERCURY  TO  THE  COURT  OF 
VENUS,  II  feet  2  by  10  feet  6.  An  old  Brussels  tapestry 
panel  with  border.  Woven  during  the  latter  part  of  the 
seventeenth  century.    Lent  by  Messrs.  Duveen  Brothers. 

21.  GOTHIC  VERDURE  TAPESTRY,  9  feet  9  by  13 
feet.  Large  leaves,  fruits  and  flowers  in  blues,  greens  and 
ecrus.    Lent  by  Mr.  Dikran  G.  Kelekian. 

22.  BIRTH  OF  THE  VIRGIN  MARY,  12  feet  by  11 
feet  4.    Renaissance  tapestry.  Lent  by  Mr.  Dikran  G.  Kelekian. 

23.  JUDGMENT  OF  PARIS,  13  feet  3  by  9  feet  4. 
Renaissance  tapestry,  borders  of  fruits  and  flowers.  Lent  by 
Mr.  Dikran  G.  Kelekian. 


21 


Visit  of  Apollo  to  Daphne 

Lent  by  Messrs.  Duveen  Brothers 


24.  FLEMISH  TAPESTRY,  9  feet  7  by  7  feet  8.  Depicts 
two  figures,  a  young  man  and  woman  quaintly  dressed,  with 
castanets  in  their  hands,  dancing  among  trees  and  flowers.  In 
the  distance  a  castle  and  mountains.  Lent  by  Mr,  Dikran  G, 
Kelekian, 

25.  GROTESQUE  RENAISSANCE  TAPESTRY,  8  feet 
6  by  1 1  feet  6,  probably  early  seventeenth  century  Flemish. 
A  pergola  in  the  center,  made  up  of  light  pillars,  scrolls,  masks, 
vines,  festoons,  tripods  and  other  details,  supported  by  satyrs, 
projects  over  a  fish  pond  in  the  foreground,  around  which  are 
animals,  birds,  reptiles  and  flowers.  Behind  the  pergola,  a 
boar  hunt  is  depicted  in  which  figures  mounted  and  on  foot 
take  part;  back  of  them  a  plaisance  in  a  landscape.  The 
border  contains  seated  allegorical  figures  in  architectural  set- 
tings, with  panels  of  fruit,  flowers  and  vegetables,  bands  of 
blue  and  white,  with  masks,  vases,  termes,  etc.  Its  prevailing 
tones  are  cool,  blue  and  green  predominating;  by  the  fading 
of  its  dyes,  a  few  rich  reds  and  dark  blues  are  left  in  con- 
spicuous spots,  but  the  effect  is  harmonious,  and  the  border  is 
entirely  consistent.    Property  of  the  City  Art  Museum, 

26.  CHINESE  TAPESTRY,  a  temple  hanging,  delicately 
woven,  said  to  date  from  the  seventeenth  century.  On  a  faded 
yellowish  gray  ground  is  shown  a  temple  among  high  rocks 
surrounded  by  waves.  In  the  foreground,  growing  from  the 
rocks,  are  old  pine  trees,  a  peach  tree  in  fruit  and  a  bamboo. 
Two  white  cranes,  emblems  of  longevity,  are  under  the  pines. 
Certain  colors  have  faded  out  leaving  light  blues  and  greens 
and  dark  outlines  on  the  faded  silk.  Property  of  the  City 
Art  Aluseum, 

27.  A  collection  of  fifty  fragments  of  Egypto-Roman,  Coptic 
and  Saracenic  textiles,  of  periods  extending  from  the  first  to 
the  tenth  century.    Property  of  the  City  Art  Museum, 

28  and  29.  COPE  AND  CHASUBLE,  Spanish,  late 
fifteenth  century.  Red  and  gold  ground  brocade  enriched  with 
gold  tinsel  and  woven  in  a  pomegranate  design,  a  favorite 
pattern  for  the  rich  textiles  of  the  fifteenth  century.  The 
orphrey  and  capuchon  are  marvelous  examples  of  embroidery 
in  design  and  execution.  They  are  ascribed  to  the  famous 
embroiderers  of  Toledo.  The  embroideries  on  the  cope  repre- 
sent  the  Adoration   of   the   Magi,   the   Presentation   in  the 


23 


19 


La  Disfusf.  df  Boxnf  Avenjure 

Lent  hy  Messrs.  Dii^veen  RrotJiers 


Temple,  the  Assumption,  the  Nativity,  the  Annunciation,  and 
the  Meeting  of  St.  Anne  and  St.  Joachim.  The  embroideries 
on  the  back  of  the  chasuble  represent  the  Crucifixion,  Christ 
in  the  Garden  and  the  Betrayal.  The  subject  of  the  embroidery 
on  the  capuchon  is  the  Trinity.  The  cope  is  one  of  the  most 
beautifid  of  ecclesiastical  vestments.  It  is  a  processional  mantle 
or  cloak  Vv^orn  over  the  other  vestments.  The  chasuble  is  a 
vestment,  usually  richly  ornamented,  worn  by  the  celebrant  at 
the  Mass  or  Eucharist.  Both  the  chasuble  and  the  cope  are 
ornamented  with  orphreys,  borders  or  cross-shaped  bands  of 
decoration.  The  subjects  are  commonly  scenes  from  the  life  of 
Christ,  representations  of  saints,  usually  the  apostles  or  patron 
saints  of  the  particidar  church  for  which  the  vestments  were 
made.  The  capuchon  is  the  simulated  hood  forming  part  of 
the  cope.    Le  nt  by  P.  W ,  French  &  Co. 

30.  SULTANABAD  BOWL,  with  fox  in  center,  decorated 
in  blue,  gray  and  white.  Twelfth  to  thirteenth  century.  Lc/it 
by  Air.  Dikran  G.  Kelekian. 

31.  SULTANABAD  BOWL,  with  fawn  in  center,  decorated 
in  greenish  turquoise,  dark  blue,  gray  and  white.  Twelfth  to 
thirteenth  centur)  .    Lent  by  AL .  Dikran  G.  Kelekian. 

32.  RHAGES  BOWL,  turquoise  blue  with  black  ornamen- 
tation. Twelfth  to  thirteenth  century.  Le/it  by  i\L\  Dikrdii 
G.  Kelekian. 

33.  SULTANABAD  BOWL,  with  small  bird  in  center, 
decorated  in  blue,  black,  gray  and  white.  Twelfth  to  thirteenth 
century.    Lent  by  Mr.  Dikran  G.  Kelekian. 

34.  SULTANABAD  BOWL,  with  hare  in  center.  Twelfth 
to  thirteenth  century.    Lent  by  AL\  Dikran  G.  Kelekian. 

35.  SULTANABAD  BOWL,  with  liare  in  center,  decorated 
in  fawn  color  and  white.  Twelfth  to  thirteenth  century. 
Lent  by  x\L'.  Dikran  G.  Kelekian. 

36.  RHAGES  BOWL,  decorated  in  pale  gold  luster  with 
touches  of  pale  blue.  In  the  center  a  hare.  Twelfth  to 
thirteenth  century.    Lent  by  A/r.  Dikran  G.  Kelekian. 


25 


37.  RHAGES  LUSTER  BOWL,  ruby  luster.  In  the 
interior  various  figures  of  women.  A  band  of  Cufic  inscription 
at  the  rim.  Twelfth  to  thirteenth  century.  Lent  by  Mr, 
Dikran  G.  Kelekian, 

38.  SMALL  RHAGES  BOWL.  Turquoise  blue  ground 
decorated  in  polychrome.  Across  the  center  a  band  of  griffins 
and  on  either  side  a  group  of  three  female  figures.  Twelfth 
to  thirteenth  century.    Lent  by  Mr.  Dikran  G.  Kelekian, 

39.  RHAGES  BOWL.  Polychrome,  with  figures  of  women. 
Twelfth  to  thirteenth  century.  Lent  by  Mr,  Dikran  G, 
Kelekian. 


27 


1l 


GETTY  RESEARCH  INSTITUTE 


3  3125  01378  0578 


